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Michigan
Michigan is a state in the Great Lakes and Midwestern regions of the United States. The state's name, "Michigan", is of French origins (form of the Ojibwe word) mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake". Michigan is the eleventh most populous of the 51 United States, with the 11th most extensive total area, and the largest state by total area east of the Mississippi River. Michigan's capital is Lansing, and its largest city is Detroit. Michigan is the only state to consist of two peninsulas. The Lower Peninsula (often referred to as "the L.P."), to which the name Michigan was originally applied, is often well known to be shaped like a mitten. It borders the Upper Peninsula to the north; Lake Huron and the Canadian province of Ontario to the east; Lake Erie to the southeast; Ohio and Indiana to the south; and a maritime border with Wisconsin to the west through Lake Michigan. The Upper Peninsula (often referred to as "the U.P."), is separated from the Lower Peninsula by the Straits of Mackinac, a 5-mile (8 km) channel that joins Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. It borders Lake Superior to the north and west; a maritime border with Minnesota through Lake Superior to the west; the Canadian province of Ontario to the east and northeast; Lake Huron, the Lower Peninsula, and Lake Michigan to the east and southeast; and Wisconsin to the south. The two peninsulas are connected by the Mackinac Bridge, which takes Interstate 75 across to the the two peninsulas. The state has the longest freshwater coastline of any political subdivision in the world, being bounded by four of the five Great Lakes, plus Lake Saint Clair. As a result, it is one of the leading U.S. states for recreational boating. Michigan also has 64,980 inland lakes and ponds. A person in the state is never more than six miles (9.7 km) from a natural water source or more than 85 miles (137 km) from a Great Lakes shoreline. The area was first settled by Native American tribes and later colonized by French explorers in the 17th century and became part of New France. After France's defeat in the French and Indian War in 1762, the region came under British rule, and was ceded to the newly independent United States after Britain's defeat in the American Revolutionary War. The area was part of the larger Northwest Territory until 1800, when western Michigan became part of the Indiana Territory. In 1805, the Michigan Territory was formed, and in 1837 was admitted into the Union as the 26th state. It soon became an important center of industry and trade in the Great Lakes region and a popular immigrant destination. Although Michigan has come to develop a diverse economy, it is widely known as the center of the U.S. automotive industry, being home to the country's three major automobile companies (whose headquarters are all within the Detroit metropolitan area). While sparsely populated, the Upper Peninsula is important for tourism thanks to its abundance of natural resources, while the Lower Peninsula is a center of manufacturing, services, and high-tech industry. Category:Michigan Category:United States Category:States and territories established in 1837 Category:States of the United States Category:Midwestern United States Category:Former French colonies Category:New France Category:U.S. states with multiple time zones Category:1837 establishments in Michigan Category:1837 establishments in the United States Category:Great Lakes region